Thursday, August 29, 2013

Journalist Leon Suseran comes out as gay

Posted By Staff Writer On August 29, 2013 @ 5:28 am In Local News | No Comments

After years of deliberation, journalist Leon Suseran has decided to come out as gay, saying that he believes that openness is the path to making the country a safe and welcoming place for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) persons.

“Given the current social climate of our society in terms of how persons perceive homosexuals, I have reached a point in my life where I could care less of what people think.

Today, I am living my best life ever and I owe it to myself as well as society out there to come clean as it were,” Suseran, 29, told Stabroek News in an interview.

He stated that while he hopes his coming out would improve the public image of the LGBT community in Guyana,

Leon Suseran

he was also unsure if it has a strong enough presence in the public sphere.

“I’m afraid that we cannot classify such a group since many gays and lesbians—as well as bisexuals—are on the down- low and choose not to even be honest with their own selves,” he said, while saying he hoped his coming out could be inspirational for other LGBT youth.

He recalled seeing other gay friends struggle with their sexuality and said it made them miserable. “To mess up people’s lives just—because of the pressures of society, family, even religion? No way! Not worth it. I prefer to be happy and be in charge of my own happiness; not let others be in charge of it for me,” he added.

Suseran also noted that Guyana’s social setting consistently promotes gender norms and a prescribed masculinity for young men. He concluded that ascribing a negative connotation to homosexuality has consistently been used to steer young men into behaving like perceived “real men.”

“You see, a lot of Guyanese males are caught up trying to promote that masculine image to the public.

And rightfully so! If they do not, they will be called homos and sissies by their buddies and society! They will not measure up to what it means to be a man—‘a real man,’” Suseran stated.

He also noted that new derogatory names for gay men, like ‘Chi-Chi man,’ have been invented through the Caribbean lexicon and dialect that springs forth from anti-gay music, such as dancehall, and he questioned the effectiveness of the current gay rights organisations within Guyana.

“I believe there is a gay rights group—if I may even call it that—in Guyana. But who are these people? Who are the members? What are they about?

What are they fighting for? Why do they appear to be in hiding? Surely they too are afraid of being identified with the homosexual community!

This cannot take us anywhere if we are to make Guyana a safe and welcoming place for gays and lesbians,” he said, while noting that he has never reached out to the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), which has been working as an advocacy group since 2003.

As a practising Catholic Suseran acknowledged that the church does not and will never condone homosexual lifestyles and sexual habits. “…But the church has always been a home of both saints and sinners, in the past and very much so in the present. I guess I will have to draw the line of the teachings of the church right there for me,” he said.

He also said that he was ready for the ramifications of coming out. “I am fully aware that persons I know might want to disassociate themselves from me; some will act like they never knew me; others might withdraw their friendship slowly,” he noted, while adding that there are also people throughout Guyana that will support and understand his need to be honest.

1.To
gain a deeper understanding of the expertise, strengths and comparative
advantages of existing and potential partners across the Americas (Caribbean
and Canada).

2.To
gain a deeper understanding of the issues, gaps, opportunities and leadership
in participatory governance across the Americas (Caribbean and Canada).

3.Todevelop a regional snapshot of the MDG
acceleration and post 2015 framework building base on research undertaken by
the Foundation in the Commonwealth (including the Caribbean).

4.To
facilitate the identification of regional priorities on participatory
governance and development.

Day One – April 16, 2013

The consultation was opened at
8:30am by Shantal Munro-Knight, Moderator and Chief Executive Coordinator,
Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) – and subsequent remarks were made
by the following persons:

1. Renrick Rose, Chair – CPDC

Renrick
Rose said that, “We are good talkers in the Caribbean…”

However,
participatory governance “is a fundamental aspect of democracy and an aspect of
civil society… and whatever we come to within these two days, how does it
translate in individual response and implementation?”

2. Shantal Munro-Knight, Executive Coordinator - CPDC

According to Munro-Knight, the Commonwealth
Foundation was founded in 1965 and is governed by member states to strengthen
the capacity of civil society in the Commonwealth. She also stated that the organization
was re-launched in November, 2012 – as it cannot remain in London. Instead, it
also needs to hear the voices of the Commonwealth people.

According to Dr. Anthony George,
the year “2013 is characterized by changes and diversity…”

“We also acknowledge that power,
wealth and status are inequitably distributed... and the government of Saint
Lucia supports active and inclusive participation of civil society, even in the
advocacy of human rights…” Therefore, “Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
cannot be achieved without the active participation of Civil Society Organisations…”
He also said, “You can hold governments and institutions responsible” for human
rights violations. Furthermore, “The cost of inaction will likely to be high,
and the longer the inaction on your part, the higher the cost will be.”

Dr. George also said that, there
is a need to “encourage partnerships and
networking” as an integral part of building the capacity of civil society
across the region and to protect human rights and equality.

4. Amy Bartlett, Programme Coordinator, Canadian Council for
International Cooperation

Amy Bartlett issued a reminder to
participants that, “The Canadian Development Agency (CIDA) is gone… and Civil Society
Organisations (CSOs) have little or no influence and funding for development”
in Canada. Therefore, it is critical for CSOs to seek innovative ways to build
and strengthen partnerships; connect and share ideas and experiences; and to
remain active in resolving humanitarian issues affecting their region and the
global environment.

Working Session 1

Four (4) working groups were
facilitated to discuss what is participatory governance, its elements, level of
CSO and non-state actors’ (NSAs) influence on development at the governmental
level, and their outcomes.

Working Session 2

Four (4) working groups discussed
the various opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses of participatory
governance in the region and at the national level; and how these issues can
translate into meaningful and sustained collaboration between civil society,
NSAs and the public sector, in order to create positive human development at
all levels.

Working Session 3

Three (3) working groups were facilitated
to discuss some of the most important regional priorities in achieving participatory
governance, inclusiveness, and partnerships between NGOs, CSOs, and governments,
as well as international donors and organisations.

There was a general consensus
among the panelists and participants that, social media is a tool as well as a
space that should be effectively, efficiently, and strategically managed by
CSOs, NGOs and other NSAs to create awareness, advocate, and to interact with
their constituents and other organisations throughout the region and
internationally. There should be no barrier to this free movement and
communication.

Emphasis was also placed on
engaging youth in advocacy and adapting to changes in social media in order to
build a larger audience and to collaborate at various levels and platforms.
However, according to the panelists, social media should never be used as a
substitute for organising and coordinating activities at local and grass-roots
levels. Instead, these two must work in unity in order to effect changes in the
lives of groups and individuals throughout our countries and regions.

Day Two - April 17, 2013

Three working groups were
facilitated throughout the day to discuss the findings of the regional MDGs
review, identify loopholes in the process, and propose recommendations for
implementation of the post- 2015 framework – and in particular, the opportunities for building equitable relations between
governments, CSOs, and NSAs.

Outcomes

Culminating from the working
groups, it was agreed that while there are many limitations for CSOs and NSAs
to engage the government in meaningful discussions to effect policies at the
national level, human rights organisations also have a responsibility to
organize themselves into an official body that can collectively advocate on
behalf of each member, which should also include supporting human rights
initiatives within each country, across the region, and internationally.

It was also agreed that CSOs must
engage regularly in self-analysis and introspection in order to maintain a
collective vision of how to proceed with the work of advocacy, and to remember
that the fight is for “human rights,” and it is a personal and lifelong struggle
that requires dedication, commitment, and many times, voluntary work.

Post – 2015 Regional Priorities, Processes, and
Activities

The regional priority areas below
were agreed upon by all participants of the consultation and will serve as a proposal
by the CPDC for drafting the main focus of the post-2015 regional framework agenda.
As such, the target groups for addressing these areas of development were
listed as: Women and girls; children; LGBTI people; People Living with HIV
(PLHIV); People with disabilities (PWD); Men; Immigrants (Re: Human
Trafficking); and Youth.

1.Human
Development, Poverty Reduction, and Economic Empowerment.

2.Governance,
Citizen Participation, and Inclusiveness.

3.Environmental
Development and Sustainability.

4.Gender
and Women’s Empowerment.

5.Social
Development (Equity and Justice), including the Eradication and prevention of
discrimination against marginalized groups.

6.Promotion
of entrepreneurships (for youth).

In closing, the CPDC provided a
list of their immediate priorities, following the consultation – some of which
have already been realized subsequent to this meeting. These included:

§Incorporating
this agenda into regional spaces (like CARICOM, etc.)

§Dissemination
of the agreed outcomes of the consultation.

§Setup
working groups to structure the framework for continued consultations and
collaboration with regional partners, NGOs, CSOs and other NSAs.

§Work
at global level to increase collaboration between international
donors/organisations and CSOs.

§Issue
a full report of the workshop within two (2) weeks from the closing date (April
17, 2013).

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About SASOD

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) is a human rights organisation and movement dedicated to achieving equality and justice for all Guyanese, especially those suffering discrimination based on their sexuality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. We support similar work in Latin America and the Caribbean, Americas, Commonwealth, Global South and worldwide.